Tanzan Ishibashi

Tanzan Ishibashi (25 September 1884-25 April 1973) was Prime Minister of Japan from 23 December 1956 to 31 January 1957, succeeding Ichiro Hatoyama and preceding Nobusuke Kishi. He was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, and he was a prominent liberal within the conservative party.

Biography
Tanzan Ishibashi was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1884, and he graduated from Waseda University. Ishibashi worked as a liberal journalist, supporting the abandonment of Manchuria due to his "Small Japan" views; from 1945 to 1955, he was a member of the Japan Socialist Party. He served as Finance Minister from 1946 to 1947 under Shigeru Yoshida's government, and he was forced to resign after openly opposing Douglas MacArthur's policies. In 1953, he became Industry Minister under Ichiro Hatoyama, and he joined the new Liberal Democratic Party of Japan in 1955. In 1956, he became President of the LDP and therefore also Prime Minister, but his sickness forced him to resign in January 1957.